Out of the Darkness
by OwlIs
Summary: Five years after the Gambit sank, Oliver returns from Lian Yue with a mission to save Starling City. But he doesn't come alone. AU Felicity on the Gambit.
1. Chapter 1

Moira's heart skipped a beat.

Literally.

She felt her steady ticker miss its first beat in her entire lifetime as her brain processed what Doctor Rosenthal had just informed her of. "If you're lying to me I will _destroy_ you." Moira's scathing threat sent ice through the telephone signal and into the receiver's ear.

"This is no joke Mrs. Queen." Doctor Rosenthal insisted. "Oliver is alive."

Her hands wobbled and the phone dropped to the floor like a sinking stone.

The sincerity etched in the doctor's tone cut through Moira like an arrow. A flood of emotions pumped out of her heart and into her veins. All of them were driven by shock, but joy flourished above them all. Oliver - her oldest child, her only son, _her_ Oliver - was alive.

With quivering hands, Moira grasped for the phone. "H-how is he?"

"You'll want to see him for yourself." Doctor Rosenthal said, with a pause in his voice.

Some natural instinct, a maternal need, snapped inside Moira, pushing her to act. Oliver needed her. "I'll be there in five minutes."

* * *

The hospital walls were unbearably white. That was the first thing Moira noticed. Hospitals were nasty places; always filled with death, sorrow, and germs. The white walls were without a doubt meant to calm patients, assure them of the hospital's cleanliness and competence. Instead, they filled Moira with dread. They were too sterile. One knew that the only kind of scrubbing and cleaning that could produce such a white was one meant to erase Death. They were a reminder of Death's constant presence.

At the end of the white hall stood a man in a hospital coat.

Moira hurried over to him. "Dr. Rosenthal?"

The man turned and nodded. Short in height, the Doctor only just reached Moira's chin. He held a clipboard firmly under his right underarm and a pen perched atop his left ear. "I'm glad you're here."

"How is he?"

Dr. Rosenthal shook his head in dismay. "20% of his body is covered with scar tissue. 2nd degree burns across his back and arms. X-rays revealed _at least_ 12 fractures."

Moira held back the tears that threatened to spring forth at the thought of her son in pain. Her eyes were already red with the tears she had shed on the way. She had known, of course, that the past five years had not been filled with the rich pleasures and carefree worries of the Queen fortune. But Moira had hoped - prayed - that he had not been too hurt; that he had not had to face the same impossible situations forced upon her every day. Now she knew that he had faced much worse.

"Is he in there?" Moira asked, staring at the hospital door closest to them. "Has he said anything about what happened?"

Doctor Rosenthal nodded. "No. He hasn't said much about anything." He answered. "I want you to prepare yourself Mrs. Queen. The Oliver you lost may not be the Oliver they found."

"Of course." Moira moved to look inside the window but Dr. Rosenthal moved to block her view as best he could. He even stood up on his tiptoes. She glared down at the doctor.

"There's something you need to know first."

Moira's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"There were more people who were lost on the Gambit than your husband and son. I-I'm not sure how it happened but-"

"I am well aware Doctor." Moira snapped. "Skip to the point."

"Your son didn't escape the Gambit alone." The words escaped Dr. Rosenthal's mouth in a hurried rush and blew Moira over.

"Excuse me?"

"Oliver didn't return alone." He repeated. "She said they made it to the island together. Well, at different times, but they met up and-"

"Wait," Moira interrupted. It wasn't enough that her son was alive, but to know that someone was with him. "She?"

Dr. Rosenthal nodded. "Felicity Smoak. She was brought aboard as a Queen Consolidated employee. Technical assistant to be exact."

A thousand possibilities and questions pounded through Moira's head, all demanding her attention at once. "What is their..." Moira struggled to find the right word, "relationship?"

He shook his head. "You'll have to talk to them yourself. I can't say for certain."

"She's not pregnant is she?" As hard as Moira tried, the words couldn't help but spill out. Oliver had already gotten one woman pregnant before in an environment that provided shelter and contraceptives. Alone? On an island that threatened death every day, without any of society's pressures?

Again, Dr. Rosenthal shook his head and Moira found herself releasing a breath she had not known she had been holding. "They're quite close, but I don't want to say anymore than-"

Moira pushed past the doctor, shoving him aside and twisting open the door handle. She couldn't stand being so close to Oliver and being unable to see or touch him, all consequences of an abrupt entrance be damned.

Oliver stood with his back to her, facing the window with the city skyline painted across its glass. She was surprised to see that his hair had been cut short. The clean, professional style indicated that he had had someone cut it for him. A cheap, tight fitting white shirt clung to his skin, accentuating the hard muscle Moira never imagined her son possessing. The Oliver of five years ago had worked out, but he had never desired to work to the point of looking like a WWE star.

A petite woman as fit as Oliver was tucked into his side. She also wore an ill-fitting white shirt and loose fitting pants. Her blonde curls spread across Oliver's shoulder and spilled down their backs. Even though she only had a back view, Moira could not recall ever seeing the woman before.

They seemed content standing there. Moira was almost sorry when they whipped around, their moment interrupted by the sudden sound of the door opening. It was as though a danger switched had been flicked on. A stormy and threatening look encased both of their eyes. Oliver stepped in front of the woman, who in turn took an offensive position.

The small consolation in Oliver's death had been that he was not suffering. But seeing the pure determination and expectation of a fight in Oliver's entire being ripped away Moira's hope that he had not been hurt. Oliver exhibited the same flight of fight paranoia Moira herself faced every day when she saw Malcolm Merlyn.

"Oliver," She breathed the word like a prayer, hoping to reach out to the boy she loved. This time, she didn't push back her tears.

The fighting stance Oliver adopted melted away, the tension lines in his face disappearing. "Mom."

Moira rushed to embrace him and he met her halfway. She hugged him tight, taking in the physical entity that was her son. Again the lithe, muscular build surprised her. She pulled away, her wide eyes inspecting Oliver for wounds she could only imagine, for injuries she couldn't heal. "My beautiful boy."

A ghost of a smile painted Oliver's face at her nickname for him.

Moira pressed her hand into his cheek. It was as though if she stopped touching him, he would vanish once more. "You're home now Oliver." She hugged him again, a sad, watery smile on her face. As she took a few steps back, she pushed away the tears threatening to build. She needed to be strong. For Oliver.

"How are you?"

Moira covered her mouth at the touching gesture. Everything he had been through and he was asking how she was. "The past few years have been hard. They're nothing like I wanted. So much has changed-" She cut herself off before she said something that couldn't be unspoken. Malcolm had taught her how to keep secrets well.

"And Thea?"

Moira's brow crinkled at the mention of her other child, the only child she had had. All of the partying, the drugs, the boys. Moira had turned a blind eye because she couldn't bear to lose the last of her family, couldn't risk losing Thea as well. "She's hurting," was all she could say.

Oliver nodded and Moira noticed a spark of determination in his eye. "Everything's going to be okay now."

He was so much like his father, always trying to do the right thing, always looking after his family first. Moira touched Oliver's cheek. "Yes. It will be."

Oliver glanced at the blonde and she walked back over, following his unspoken request. "Mom, this is Felicity. She was on the Gambit with me."

Moira forced herself to turn to the woman, resentment building at the reminder of the stranger intruding on her reunion with her son. She smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Queen." Felicity said, sticking out a hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

Moira hummed in response. "I'm sure. Will your parents be coming to Starling?"

She nodded. "My Mom's flight should land sometime tomorrow morning."

"Felicity's going to be going to be staying with us when we leave the hospital." Oliver announced.

Moira thought she hid her displeasure quite well, save for the slight furrow in her brow. "Of course." The last thing she wanted to do was argue, but she couldn't help but ask, "May I ask how long?"

Oliver sighed. The question was innocent enough of course, but he saw through the passive aggressive stunts Moira pulled. He should have expected such a reaction from his uptight mother. "Mom,"

Felicity placed her hand up on Oliver's bicep. "It's fine." Turning to Moira, she replied, "It'll only be for a week or two. Just until I get back on my feet. I don't have any family living in Starling, and I doubt that my landlord liked me enough to reserve the house for five years while I was away, so most likely my old house is occupied by someone else. It may be a family of five or maybe a little old lady with a dozen cats or an old man living alone. In any scenario though, it isn't me." Felicity snorted.

Moira merely nodded, curious and skeptical of the blonde's babble. She eyed Felicity's hand, which still lingered across Oliver's arm. There were two separate beds in the room, but that didn't mean anything. The two were obviously close. But then, so would any two refugees on an abandoned island. The Oliver before he was definitely not the one she had known and Moira didn't know what that Oliver was like around women.

"Well, we're going to hold you both overnight, run a few more tests. But after that, you'll be free to return home tomorrow. Mrs. Queen, there's a room prepared for you in another wing of the hospital." Dr. Rosenthal stated. "Sound good?"

All three occupants nodded their heads.

"Good. Mrs. Queen, if you'd follow me. I believe these two need their sleep."

Moira followed Dr. Rosenthal out. She turned around and stared through the window before turning the hall corner in time to see Oliver and Felicity slipping out of view. It looked like they were headed for opposite beds.

Moira shook her head. She would know soon enough what Oliver knew about the true cause for the sinking of the Gambit. Malcolm would see to that. And it wouldn't hurt if she had Malcolm's hit men ask a few questions about his relationship to Felicity Smoak as well.

* * *

 **I know I should be working on my Locker Room Shenanigans, but I couldn't help myself and start another story. It'll be short- just a few chapters to explore the possibility of if Felicity was on the Gambit.**

 **Please review and tell me your thoughts good and bad - they're better than crack!**


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all I just want to thank everyone who reviewed Out of the Darkness! It means SOOO much to me (and it encourages me to write faster for all you lovelies). I'll be updating roughly once a week, depending on my schedule and review speed. On with the story!**

* * *

Felicity awoke before the sun. She took a moment to take in her surroundings, slowly cracking open one eye and surveying the room with a cautious gaze.

The window in front of her was still aglow with the artificial city lights, their power nowhere near as beautiful or elegant (or eco-friendly for that matter) as the stars and moon she spent hours examining on the island. Without moving a muscle, Felicity felt Oliver's strong arm curled around her waist, pulling her into him. His steady, even breaths fell across the top of her head, ever so softly swaying her baby hairs. It was nice, Felicity decided, to be the first of the two to be awake. After the past twenty-four hours, it wasn't exactly a surprise for their roles to reverse for the day. The only sound that could be heard was the humming of the hospital machines beside them. A charcoal gray clip remained attached to both of their fingers, monitoring their hearts that worked so hard to beat.

Satisfied that there was no threats in the vicinity, Felicity allowed herself to snuggle into Oliver's embrace, breathing in his rich scent.

It was instinct really, to wake up slow, expecting threats to be watching. On the island, she and Oliver had taken shifts. She had generated a schedule that would maximize the amount of sleep while minimizing the likelihood of an unsuspected attack and no matter where they were, their natural sleep patterns followed that schedule on instinct.

Felicity reflected on the events of the previous night. Change was in the wind, and she wasn't sure how she felt. Of course she would support Oliver in his crusade to save Starling City, but they were returning to the world they left behind, the world she had never felt completely accepted in. Her goth persona at MIT had been exactly that - a charade. And blonde, technical assistant Felicity of Queen Consolidated had not amounted to more than an excellent worker. Even though she possessed the most talent with computers, she still had a boss, who had a boss, who had a boss, who had Oliver's father. Her skills, while appreciated, had not had the opportunity to flourish. The Felicity Smoak pre-island was a nobody. Harsh, but true.

To make it worse, Oliver Queen was the city's biggest somebody. Felicity knew that he had changed, but a small, evil part inside of her cried out that Oliver's old life would replace her. She had no place with the Oliver of before. He needed to act like the playboy he was five years ago, but she knew how easily acts can become reality.

She laid there, thinking about how the day would change them, until Oliver's grip around her tightened.

"You're awake."

Felicity sighed. Oh how she loved how heavy and husky with sleep his voice was in the morning. She loved it even more because she knew that she was one of the only people (at least recently) who heard it.

Oliver chuckled. "You really like my morning voice?"

Felicity groaned, laying her head back into Oliver's chest. "I spoke my thoughts out loud again, didn't I?"

"Fraid so."

"I seriously don't understand how my brain can't tell the difference between talking and thinking! I mean, I attended MIT, nearly perfected my SATs, have a genius level IQ, and can hack into any computer system. What's so hard about keeping its thoughts to itself?" She groaned.

"Don't worry about it." Oliver buried his face into Felicity's locks, reveling in the feeling of her hair against his skin. "Your brain's so smart, it thinks that every thought is so genius it needs to be said. It says 'there's no time for thinking! We need to get these ideas out to the world asap!'"

"You're such a dork sometimes." Felicity teased, not bothering to hide the smile in her voice. "Trust me. I'm an expert in all things dorky and nerdy."

"I think you're an expert in more things than that." Oliver reminded, his voice dark with desire.

"We can't think about that right now." Felicity said, pulling herself up out of the bed. Once they started, they'd never stop. And that wouldn't be good on _so_ many levels. Especially since Moira was due to arrive soon. As if the woman needed another reason to distrust and dislike her. The sun's rays were beginning their journey across the sky, the lights of the city evaporating in the rays' natural light. "Are you ready for today?"

Oliver stretched out his arms behind her, jostling the bed. "I'm ready to start our work here."

Felicity turned around, wanting to see his reaction. "And your family? Your friends?"

Oliver stared hard at Felicity. He had the sneaking suspicion that she was implying something there. "I'll do what I have to."

"You haven't seen them for five years Oliver. I know that my mom's a handful, and maybe certifiably ADD, but I'm still excited to see her."

"Everything will be fine." Oliver said, feeling like he answered while still dodging the meat of the question. "We're going to be living with them. It'll be difficult working around them, but we can manage."

Felicity nodded. "Is there anything you wanted to start working on?"

"Until I renovate the nightclub, there's nothing we can do. I won't be able to do that today without raising suspicion. Enjoy the time with your mom."

Felicity wanted to ask if Oliver would stick around to meet said mom, but the sound of the doorknob twisting open refocused her attention. Both of them stared at Dr. Rosenthal as he came in, clipboard in hand. "Oliver, Felicity. How are you doing this morning?"

"Eager to get going." Oliver responded, sliding off the bed. "Are we all cleared?"

The doctor nodded, glancing down at the papers. "You both are in the clear. Physically. Mentally though,"

"We're both fine doctor." Felicity interrupted.

"Of course, but I would suggest attending a few therapy sessions. At least to catch you up on the past three years or,"

"My mother will take it from here Dr. Rosenthal." Oliver stated with confidence that left no room for argument. "Is she and the driver downstairs?"

Dr. Rosenthal nodded. "The release papers have all been signed. You're free to go."

"Thank you for your help." Felicity said with a nod, exiting the white room. With freedom waiting for her just down the elevator, the need to get out into the world quickened her pace.

She took a deep breath as the elevator descended. The numbers above the door flashed from the tenth floor to the ninth. Then the eighth. Seven. Six.

Oliver wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed it. Felicity looked up at him, smiling.

It was a little thing. Squeezing someone's hand. People did it all the time. But somewhere during the past five years of hell, it had developed into their own form of reassurance; a promise of sorts, that no matter what happened, they would always be there for the other.

The elevator dinged open as Felicity squeezed back, before letting go.

It was time to start pretending.

* * *

Felicity wore her most polite smile as she, Moira, and Oliver drove to the Queen mansion. Every small remark, every question, every pause seemed to require a smile to accompany it. Felicity herself said very little. While she would have enjoyed to engage in the small talk with Moira (Oliver really just nodded occasionally and Moira never questioned the vacant look in his eye), she knew that once she started she would never stop. Plus, if she was ever going to look like a weak, island victim, she had to keep her cheerful babbling to a minimum.

"And we remodeled the kitchen too. It wasn't a huge change, just a switch in the backsplash." Moira continued. "Oh, we're here."

Finally.

Felicity stared up at the Queen mansion, her curious eyes roving over the antique brick and black gate. She could hardly imagine a house so different from her own, small house in the middle of the Nevadan desert.

"It's so big. Like, Millennium Falcon big." Felicity scrunched up her nose. "Well, actually it's probably more like a dozen Millennium Falcons and then some. I guess I can't say because I haven't seen the inside. Do you have a basement?"

Moira nodded, her eyes bewildered at the comparison to her house. "Is that a type of airplane?"

A slight blush crept up Felicity's neck and Oliver turned to the window to hide his smirk. "Yeah, kind of."

Oliver coughed, covering his mouth with his fist. He had known Felicity's obsession with Star Wars long enough to recognize such references. He himself had been a fan as a child, before he grew up and it became "nerdy." "Excuse me. Must've swallowed wrong."

Felicity glanced at Oliver, a subtle glare lining her features. "Yeah, that's it."

Moira regarded the exchange with passive interest. She knew the gestures used to hide true expressions, and these two seemed to be speaking their own thinly veiled language.

The driver pulled up to a stop at the front door. Oliver pushed open the car door and strode through his house.

The foyer was adorned with a grand, U-shaped staircase. It gave way to the living room on the left, kitchen on the right. From the front door, one could only glean a glimpse of the two rooms, but what one could see hinted at the opulence laden throughout the house.

"This is so cool." Felicity said, giving out a low whistle. No wonder Oliver had been such a brat before the island. She would've thought she owned the world if she had grown up in a place this nice.

A half-formed laugh bubbled up and out from Oliver. Between Felicity calling him a brat (she's called him much worse before) and the horrified look on his mother's face, the ridiculousness of the situation forced the sound out. He tried hard. Really.

Felicity stared at Oliver, whose shoulders were shivering with held-back laughter. "What?"

"What gives you the right to call my son a brat after all he's been through? In his own house?" Moira asked, power and ice poorly held back. The only thing that kept it back was the fact that Oliver seemed to find the blonde's behavior amusing, rather than insulting.

Once more, a bright, red blush expanded across Felicity's face. "I-I'm so, so, so sorry Mrs. Queen. I-I really didn't mean to I swear. It was my stupid brain again, going off before it had a chance to process the words and the difference between thoughts and words. I just..." Felicity buried her face into her hands. "This was so not how I wanted things to go."

"It's all right Felicity." Oliver said as he stamped out the rest of his laughter. Not without making a note to tease her for it later. A warning was etched in his serious tone and in the subtle nod of his head.

"Sorry Mrs. Queen." Felicity said after a quick breath. "It won't happen again. It's just...I've forgotten my social skills the past five years."

 _Yeah, because you so didn't do the whole babbling thing before the island Felicity._ She thought to herself.

Moira only nodded in response. Luckily for all of them, Walter Steel entered the foyer, alleviating them all from responding further. "Oliver,"

Oliver's once amused look disappeared as he approached Walter. Felicity recognized the slight narrowing of his blue eyes, the distrust in his stiff posture, the tense way his shoulders prepared for a fight. It was the look Oliver took when calculating how to destroy someone, seeking any and all forms of weakness.

Moira and Walter seemed to catch onto Oliver's off-putting demeanor as well. "Oliver, you remember Walter, don't you? He works for your father's company."

After one more Passover, Oliver shook Walter's outstretched hand before turning to the small woman dressed in a maid's uniform. With his back turned, Moira and Walter shared a worried look and-

Oh. Everything clicked together in Felicity's head and sympathy raced through her.

"Who's this?" Walter asked, turning to Felicity.

"Felicity Smoak. It's nice to meet you again Mr. Steel."

"Again?"

Felicity nodded. "I worked for QC before boarding the Gambit. That's the reason I was on the island." Walter had always been a great boss, but she couldn't make the effort to leave the coolness in her tone. It was hard enough for her and Oliver to return to Starling, but to return and find his mother and his father's former friend together? It was too much.

"Ollie!"

Felicity turned to see the youngest Queen race down the staircase and pull Oliver into a hug. Short and beautiful, Thea Queen had grown so much since their last time in Starling. She held barely any resemblance to the little kid Felicity remembered seeing in the news.

As the two siblings caught up, Felicity felt about as necessary as a piece of furniture. She didn't know any of these people and they didn't care to know her. She was just another problem to solve, another story to fix in the eyes of curious reporters, another obstacle preventing the family from reuniting fully in the presence of an outsider.

And the worst part, was that she couldn't do anything about it. She had to keep posing, had to keep pretending, like she and Oliver were nothing more than refugees. They had couldn't know how close they really were, how much they had shared, how much they had lost. The social pressure was almost as threatening as any of the soldiers on Lian Yue.

"I only have one thing to tell you, and that's that yachts suck."

Oliver allowed a small grin to pop up on his face as he turned to face his best friend. "Tommy Merlyn."

Tommy walked through the open doorway wearing a careful smile. "It's been too long Queen. Missed a lot." The two hugged and pulled back. "Look at you man. You're so ripped."

Oliver nodded, the joke hitting a little too close to island reminders. "You look good too."

"And who's this?" Tommy turned to Felicity, who had fully expected on being forgotten.

"Felicity, meet Tommy. Tommy, meet Felicity." Oliver introduced. "We were...both stranded on the island." Everyone in the room noticed that the introduction pointed to how they met and why Felicity was there and not their relationship.

"It's nice to meet you Felicity." Tommy said, shaking Felicity's hand. "And I want to apologize for having to put up with this lug of a guy for the past five years. He can be a real dick sometimes."

Felicity snorted before covering it with a cough. "Sorry. It's nice to meet you too." If she had allowed herself, she would have been smiling. There was a reason Tommy was Oliver's best friend, and she had a feeling that she was going to like him.

"Felicity?"

The blonde turned around and found another, similar looking, shorter blonde woman hovering in the doorway. "Mom."

It felt so good to finally know someone in the Queen mansion, someone who wanted to see her, someone who knew who she was. "Oh my baby girl," Donna sobbed, gripping onto her daughter like she might blow away. "Are you all right? Oh, of course you're not all right. We, I...I can't believe."

"Mom, let's go somewhere more private." Felicity said gently, pulling her mom out of the wary eyes of the Queens.

"Oh Felicity, I am so sorry that this happened. I never wanted, never would have dreamed that this could be possible." Donna gushed, her eyes overflowing with tears. "I, I still can't believe that you're alive."

"I know Mom. I know."

"Fel-i-city,"

Felicity turned to find Oliver jogging over to her and her mom. She turned her questioning eye to him, and he responded with a nod of his head. "Oliver,"

"I wanted to meet you before you left for the day." Oliver said, talking to Donna. He stuck out a hand. "Oliver Queen."

"O-Oliver," A stormy face fell across Donna and she pulled back her hand to slap him but before she even got halfway to his face, an arm grabbed hers midair.

"Felicity," Donna stared at her daughter in confusion.

"It's not his fault Mom. I didn't go on that boat because of him." Felicity said. Her voice was low and quiet, but no one who heard it questioned that she meant what she said. "Let's go."

"I-I'm sorry Mr. Queen. I don't know what came over me." Donna sputtered.

"It's all right Ms. Smoak. And it's Oliver."

"Come on," Felicity guided her mom to one of the limos waiting for them, courtesy of the Queens. She shared a glance with Oliver. Both of them had known their parents were going to loath the other, but that was something they had prepared to deal with through separation. Donna wouldn't be staying on Starling for too long, so that solved Oliver's problems; Felicity planned to live at wherever they set up the base for their operations, taking care of Felicity. As far as their parents were concerned, they were fellow refugees and nothing more.

"See you at dinner." Oliver said, a caution to stay safe twinkling in his eyes.

Felicity rolled her own eyes at the needless reminder. She flicked her hand, a gesture that looked like she was brushing something off her shirt and nothing more. "See you at dinner."

"Who was that Oliver?" Tommy asked, as Felicity and her mom drove away. "You two have to be more than friends."

"We're acquaintances." Oliver said, steeling his tone.

"You can't be stranded together and never have...you know, done the nasty. It was an abandoned island for Pete's sake. And she is _hot_. Like, level ten hot."

Oliver shook his head. He was fully aware of the remainder of his family idly listening. "We kept to our own, helped each other stay alive. She was a useful partner, someone who could understand. That's it."

Tommy nodded, accepting the lies.

As Oliver reentered his house, the shroud of lies he was pulling up choking him more than anyone who had ever tried strangling him. Felicity was so much more than the woman he was portraying to his family. He was so much more than the man Felicity was telling her mother about.

He couldn't say anything about the way she had guided him those first few months. How she had been the one to shoot the bow and arrow before him. How she had been the one to motivate him from killing himself out of sheer misery.

She couldn't say anything about how he had saved her from isolation in the middle of nowhere. How he had been the one to free them when Fyers tortured them for information. How he had been the one to pull her back from going completely insane.

But they didn't have a choice. Like it or not, they had to become the people they were pre-island. And pre-island Oliver and pre-island Felicity were nothing more than acquaintances.

* * *

 **Hoped you liked it! If you have anything you want to see from future chapters let me know! More reviews equal faster updates.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Thanks for waiting patiently and just being awesome, reviewing readers as usual!**

 **To answer some questions: Sara was on the island with them. Everything happened on the island like in the show, only Felicity was there. I can speed up the events so we see Sara earlier if you guys like though. ;)**

 **The reason behind the whole secret relationship thing is that 1) like in the show, Oliver has to go back to being pre-island Oliver. Pre-island Oliver and Felicity didn't really fit in each other's world. 2) Oliver's kind of insecure in the recent relationship (just like he was all of season three). 3) Oliver wants to keep his family away from his Arrow activities, and unfortunately, that involves Felicity.**

 **Also, Felicity will be as physically fit and capable as Oliver, but will be working on her computers (she'll always be that lovable tech girl!). She will also be in the field (sometimes being technical assistance at the same time and saving Oliver for a change as well - this is AU).**

 **The slap in the last chapter was primarily because Donna just wanted to strike out at someone related to her daughter's disappearance. She was emotional, not thinking straight, and needed someone to blame. It was Oliver's boat and his company, though he himself did nothing wrong.**

* * *

Felicity noticed the man in the fedora tailing her when she and Donna received their second cups of coffee. He sat in the back of the coffee shop, fedora tipped low over his face as he leaned over a tablet whose glow dimmed from lack of movement.

Several questions popped through Felicity's mind, mainly of which, were about who her pursuer was. She had known Starling to be a corrupt city, but she doubted that her stalker was a run of the mill mugger. She placed a hand on her hip and adjusted her shirt, relaxing as she felt the outline of a dagger under her clothes. She knew without a doubt she could handle him (he was kind of on the small side, to be honest), but she didn't want to drag Donna into it. Whatever it was. "Do you mind if I drop you off at the hotel now? I'm kind of tired." Felicity said.

Donna nodded, eyes eager to please and full of puppy sympathy. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with me? There's more than enough room."

"The Queens were gracious enough to open their home up to me and I don't want to seem rude by denying them."

"I am sorry about trying to slap Oliver." Donna admitted. "I just...you have no idea what it was like. My only child lost at sea and the only reason she was there in the first place was for _business_."

Felicity placed a hand over her mother's, wearing a reassuring smile. "It's okay now. I'm okay. I'm here. You're not going to lose me."

"Do you have to work for that company?" Donna asked, unable to hold back the lecture she had tried to bring up several times. "There are perfectly nice companies in Las Vegas or Los Angeles. Even in other places in Starling."

"I want to pick up where I left off Mom. It's okay. Promise." Felicity pulled back, picking up her purse and gesturing to their driver to get the car. "Ready to go?"

Felicity kept an eye on her stalker and kept in view of the general public until the limo pulled up to the curb. She watched as a beige, four-person car drove behind the limo the entire way to Donna's hotel. After a hurried farewell, Felicity instructed the driver to let her out at the corner of a storefront.

"Are you sure ma'am? I thought you wanted to return to the Queen's." The driver asked.

"No, I'm good. I need to buy some clothes first." Felicity winced. It wasn't the worst lie (she hadn't bought new clothes in five years, after all), but it still seemed flimsy.

"This is the middle of the Glades. It's a dangerous neighborhood."

Felicity almost laughed. Whatever the Glades could throw at her would be nothing compared to what she had endured on the island. Instead, she politely smiled. "No, it's fine. I'll be quick. Promise." Before the driver could protest again, she hopped out of the limo and strut over to the store. The moment the limo was out of sight, she walked down the sidewalk, head straight ahead.

Felicity felt, rather than saw, the same man in the fedora follow her down towards a more deserted part of the city. As the last person passed her, Felicity knew what was about to happen. She wasn't going to like getting knocked out, but she had to know who had hired the man.

Felicity braced herself as the man attacked her from behind, pulling her into an ally and pressing a chloroform rag against her face. She struggled against him, but held herself back even as her thoughts slipped into the darkness.

* * *

Felicity could see the harsh, white light through her eyelids. Memories of the stalker with a fedora flashed through her mind. She sat still, feigning sleep as she noticed her surroundings.

There were multiple breaths being taken in around her. At least two nearby. With the slight shuffling of feet, there were probably about six of them in there, including herself No more than eight. There was no breeze against her face, telling her that she was most likely inside somewhere. Probably a warehouse or abandoned building. Possibly a basement. She was situated on a metal chair and her hands were tied behind her back with zip ties.

Amateurs.

Satisfied that she had an idea of where she was, Felicity cracked open an eye. There were only a few bright lights stationed above a warehouse ceiling. Five masked men were huddled in a circle a few feet off to her right. Their masks were the face of a red demon, like that was supposed to scare them.

No. Felicity knew that the only monsters she had to worry about wore a face that was very much human.

Oliver sat in a chair in front of her, hands behind his back. He didn't look beat up. No ankle twisted at a strange angle, no shoulder snapped out of place, not even a visible bruise anywhere on him.

It was then that she noticed that his friend Tommy was sprawled across the floor beside him.

Felicity swore. Tommy's presence complicated everything. They couldn't keep their covers and fight their way out. The only blessing was that he looked knocked out cold. How Oliver had allowed Tommy to be captured with him astounded her.

She would have to reprimand him about that later.

Felicity noticed the way limp way he held his head, but Felicity had slept with him enough times to know when he was asleep and when he was faking.

Okay. Not slept, slept with him. At least, not on the island. There had been that one time in Hong Kong...they really should've just stayed there. What a place. Their bed was-

Felicity's train of thought stopped as it noticed Oliver open his right eye. He stared at Felicity, scanning her for injuries in the same way she had scanned him. Her eyes flickered to Tommy, to which Oliver rolled his in response. Felicity narrowed her brow a fraction of an inch. _Apologize for being sloppy._

Oliver pursed his lips in refusal. Felicity sighed and her eyes wandered to Tommy, then met Oliver's again. If he didn't want to admit his error, he would have to deal with it by himself. Oliver gave a slight nod as understanding passed between them.

Felicity blinked three times in rapid succession, then twice. _What's the plan?_

Oliver blinked three times.

They had three plans prepared. Five years in Hell and they had almost every situation categorized into three separate plans. That's the beauty of the brain of Felicity Smoak. Plan one was to fight. Plan two was to wait for an escape. Plan three was to ride it out, taking neither offense nor defense, but a little bit of both.

Their five captors began walking towards them and they knew it was show time. They snapped their eyes shut.

"Wakey, wakey." One of them taunted. He pulled out a black rectangle and thrust it into Oliver. Felicity flinched as Oliver yelled out, but she knew it was controlled. Restrained. His face was eerily calm for someone who had allowed electricity into his system. If his captor had known anything at all about kidnappings, he should have known that Oliver's reaction wasn't normal. "Did your father make it to the island with you?"

Oliver didn't respond. He stared at the man in the mask with steel in his eyes, his mouth open in a quiet pant. "Did Robert Queen survive the Queen's Gambit?"

"I don't know."

The man shocked Oliver with the taser again and he snarled in protest. When Oliver didn't respond immediately, the man turned his attention to Felicity. "What do you know about Robert Queen?"

"I don't know any more than him. He was his father." Felicity braced her body for the impact but it still stung like a bitch. She let out a strangled yelp but, like Oliver, kept her calm. She saw Oliver glaring at her taunts, but Felicity was a bit tired of listening. "What, you use a taser because you can't bring yourself to hit a woman? You don't have the guts to take me without the girly defense weapon?"

The man pulled Felicity's head back by her ponytail, extending her throat to the threat of the taser. "Bet you wouldn't sound so smart if you couldn't speak for a couple days. Might teach you a lesson."

"I'm kind of a poor learner when my teacher tends to be a psychotic kidnapper."

Oliver growled at the man. Their captor took a step back, staring between the two. They could hear the smile in his voice as he said, "So, you two ever screw on the island?" He turned to Felicity. "You hoping to get all the money when you come back?"

Felicity scoffed. "That's really none of your business."

He tased Felicity in the stomach again, snarling. "I'll make it my business."

Felicity stared at Oliver, her eyes ridiculously calm with just a hint of impatience. "I'm getting kind of tired of this. You hear enough yet?"

Oliver nodded, leaning forward in his chair, eager for the fight.

The man seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere because he moved closer to Felicity, taser held out in a threat. "You're both cuffed to those chairs."

"It's adorable that you think you're so smart." Felicity snapped, sarcasm dripping off her tone as she pulled her hands out in front of her.

The man moved to stab Felicity a third time, but instead found the weapon in that special place that never sees the light of day. Felicity boxed the man over the ears and wrenched his head to the side in a clean snap.

At the same time Oliver snatched the chair out from under him and smashed it into the second man, preventing him from reaching his gun. He flung the chair aside as he punched the third man in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He thrust the third man in front of him, using him as a shield as the second man fired at him. "A little help over here?"

Felicity shook her head as she grabbed her dagger. She fell to the ground, knocking the second gunman's feet out from under him, before plunging the dagger into his chest. "Your technique's sloppy Oliver."

"Well at least I know enough to not run my mouth during an interrogation." Oliver snapped back, kicking the fourth man into the wall. "You drew unnecessary attention to yourself."

"Like we couldn't handle them. Have a little fun, you just got home." Felicity said, watching their final captor fleeing. "You want him?"

"You can't just throw your dagger?"

"Someone has to take care of Tommy, don't they? Besides, my dagger's dirty enough as is." She said, brandishing the bloodied dagger like it was a magic wand. "Hop to it."

Oliver groaned as he took off.

"Don't let him escape now!" Felicity warned saucily, smile on her face.

If anyone had heard their conversation, they would have categorized it as a fight. At the very least a disagreement. But it was just the way they worked. It was their coping mechanism, a way to normalize their situation.

She couldn't ignore how good it felt to use the banter they had created on the island in Starling. She didn't relish killing any of the men, of course, but the adrenaline that came from the fight was exhilarating.

She stared at the dead men with a sinking feeling of guilt and remorse. It slithered through her, tainting her conscience like a snake. After she they forced her to do - what they forced her and Oliver to do - she hated killing. It reminded her too much of everything they had been through. But they had been necessary kills. No one could know who they were or know what they were capable of.

She checked Tommy for a pulse briefly, briefly scanning him for injuries. There didn't seem to be many. Nothing visible and they hadn't been through anything serious enough to warrant internal damage. She surveyed the scene with distaste. Four dead men didn't look good.

"Can we just call the police and have them pick it up?" Felicity asked as Oliver jogged back to her.

"That's their job, isn't it?"

"Well, that and protecting people." Felicity replied.

"Just a heads up, the head of the department hates me."

Felicity snorted. "Given all of your partying days pre-island, that's no surprise. I bet he had a special place for you in jail. Or at least your number on speed dial or something, since rich people don't tend to go to jail."

"He's also Sara and Laurel's father."

Felicity scrunched up her nose. "Well, that makes this all very awkward."

Oliver grabbed Felicity's hand, squeezing it lightly. "You okay?"

"What, a few taser hits? Not exactly pleasant, but nothing like a blade. Or a burn. Or running for your life. It's more of an embarrassment than anything else." Felicity sighed. "Why can't we just be normal people?"

"Well, we are pretending to be-"

"No. We're pretending to be who we were." She corrected. "I would much rather pretend to be a normal couple in some far off city, or even one of those small towns, than go back to being who we were." Oliver didn't have a response for that and Felicity knew it. He just stared at Felicity with that kicked puppy look in his blue eyes. She sighed, exasperated. She recognized that angsty, depressing, guilty side of Oliver too well. "We're not going to even go with the whole you-deserve-someone-normal debate."

"But-"

Felicity held up a hand. "Hmm mmm. Nope. Not going there." She glanced at Tommy. "Why did you bring him along?"

Oliver scowled. "I didn't choose to."

"Then why is he here?"

"They came up from behind us and-"

"Did you expect them to come from the front?"

Oliver's blue eyes sparked with frustration. "They shot me with a tranquilizer before I could do anything."

"I saw them coming from a mile away and got my mom to her hotel room safely." Felicity sighed. "And you're supposed to be the one running this operation. What would you do without me?"

A hint of a smile crossed Oliver's lips. "I'd do it by myself."

"Oh yeah, and I'm sure that would go great." Felicity said sarcastically. "You'd probably end up getting shot and bleed out in some poor innocent's car."

"You have to have more faith in me than that."

"Yeah. I'd have faith you would at least run a thorough background check on that innocent." Felicity playfully punched Oliver's arm. "Come on. Let's go call the police. We have to, now that we're ordinary citizens again."

"By day."

"You're right." She nodded and threw an eager punch in the air. "By day. And by night, crime fighting superheroes."

A sudden groan reminded the two that they weren't alone. "Ollie?"

"Hey, Tommy," Oliver knelt beside his friend as Tommy opened his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"What's she doing here?"

Felicity stopped in her tracks, cringing. They had been so caught up in their own plans, they had forgotten about their third wheel. Worse yet, said third wheel now knew that Felicity had been captured with him and Oliver.

"She was taken with us." Oliver explained, cutting Tommy's bonds.

"But she wasn't with us. She was with her mom." Tommy rubbed his wrists, a frown etched on his lips.

Felicity just shrugged, staring hard at Oliver.

"They must've grabbed her after us then." Oliver guessed. "Are you hurt?"

Tommy shrugged as he stood up. "Fine. But we need to call the police."

* * *

"So you're telling me, that a green-hooded vigilante swooped in and saved you three?" Detective Lance asked, eyes skeptical.

Felicity stared at the father of Laurel and Sara. You could see how much Sara's death hurt him. It was splattered across his face like the sunspots splatter the sun. She missed Sara. They hadn't known each other for long, but they had become close despite everything that had been thrown at them. Felicity kept her face modulated to an even traumatized, vacant stare. It was easier than she wanted it to be. The Chinese vase on the table must have cost a fortune.

Oliver nodded, a small smile resting on his face. "Yep."

"Why would he do that? There have never been reports of a vigilante before. Why now? Why _you_?"

"I don't like your tone Detective." Moira said frigidly, crossing her arms in a subtle warning.

Lance just turned to Tommy. "You didn't see anything?"

Tommy shook his head. "I was knocked out the whole time. The last thing I remember was Ollie and I walking to our car from his dad's building."

"What about you?" Lance asked, waving a hand in front of Felicity's "vacant" stare. "Now Queen, Merlyn, I can understand. In a city like Starling, everyone's short on cash. Those two would bring in millions, but you? You're not worth a dime."

"We already told you everything we know. Why don't you try catching this guy and interrogating him instead of us?" Oliver demanded, voice taunt.

Lance stared hard at Oliver, not bothering to cover the contempt. "Your luck just never runs out does it? Not for the privileged."

"Thank you for coming Detective. If any of them remember anything, we'll be in touch." Walter said, diffusing the bomb before it could blow. "Raisa, would you show them out?"

Oliver glared at Lance as he left the room. "So who's ready for dinner?"

"You don't want to talk about this?" Moira asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine Mom. Don't worry. I just want to eat."

Moira sighed, unable to find the fight in her to push him any more. "Okay. Tommy, would you like to stay for dinner?"

He nodded. "I'd hate to miss out on Raisa's cooking."

* * *

Before the island, Felicity had been subjected to many embarrassing situations. From dropping the glue on her dress in kindergarten, to falling down the stairs in high school, Felicity should have gotten used to having all eyes on her, judgmental and cruel. But she couldn't remember ever feeling more out of place than at the Queen household with Oliver's family and Tommy.

Everyone wanted to know about Oliver's time on Lian Yue or even about what had happened with their kidnappers. But Oliver shut down every conversation that attempted to go that way, and Felicity certainly wasn't about to answer any of their prying questions. The end result was an overabundance of small talk - Tommy catching them both up on the past five years with Moira and Walter commenting on the company and the weather for the week.

"So what do you plan to do Felicity, now that you're back?" Tommy asked.

Felicity snapped her head up from her food, surprised at being addressed for the first time. "Hmm?"

"What do you want to do now?"

"Well, I was hoping to find a position at QC again, since that's where I left off." Felicity said, daring to sneak a glance at Walter. "Though I'm afraid I couldn't reaccept my old position at IT. Five years may not seem like a lot, but in the technology world, I might as well have been gone a lifetime. It'll take me a year at least to catch up with the latest technology." The lie fell of her lips as naturally as falling snow. Their time in Hong Kong had given Felicity more than enough time to reacquaint herself with computers, and Amanda Waller had given her the best of the best.

Tommy nodded. "What'd you miss most?"

Felicity frowned. There were so many things at the time. But at the same time, she had gained survival skills. And Oliver of course. She had never really found her place in the real world, but her place in the middle of all the crises they faced was obvious. There were the stereotypical answers like fancy food or her extensive comic book collection. But none of them would understand.

"Felicity?"

She glanced up at Oliver and a small blush dusted her cheeks. "Did I think out loud again?"

"You looked deep in thought." Oliver noted.

"I'm just tired." She flashed an apologetic smile at Tommy. "Sorry. I think I missed my mom the most. I'm all she has, after my dad left, and I knew that my disappearance would hurt her."

Tommy nodded. "I know what it's like to only have one parent...really to have no parents, at times."

Felicity gave Tommy a sympathetic glance as Thea cleared her throat. "As fun as this whole death of a parent thing is, can I be excused? My friends are waiting for me."

Moira nodded. "You don't want to finish Ollie's first dinner back?"

"He's not going anywhere anytime soon." Thea said. "I'm pretty sure he couldn't get worse luck if he tried."

"I'd like to be excused too." Oliver said. "I'm finished."

Moira stared at her son like he asked if he could go on another cruise. "Is something wrong?"

"I just...didn't realize you and Walter were sleeping together."

An awkward hush fell over the table at Oliver's blunt remark.

Moira stared worriedly at Walter. "Walter and I are married Oliver."

"We didn't do anything that would disrespect your father." Walter assured. "I want you to know that."

"May I be excused?" Oliver asked, his voice indifferent.

Moira nodded, guilt trailing across her body. "Of course."

"Thank you for the meal Mrs. Queen. Raisa, you did an excellent job. It was delicious." Felicity commented, rising from her own chair. "Tommy, Mr. Steel, it was a pleasure." She followed Oliver up the stairs to his room. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's not your fault." Oliver said, closing the door behind them. "Things happen."

"You shouldn't have had to come back to the family, Hamlet drama thing. As if you weren't hurt enough by everything." Felicity shook her head. "I don't know what I'd do if my mom had married someone. Well, actually it wouldn't have been too much of a shock because my dad's been gone for forever and that makes him the world's worst father ever. I guess I the addition of a stepfather couldn't be worse, right?"

Oliver only smiled, pulling Felicity into him and taking in her scent. "When did your rambles become so necessary?"

Felicity smiled into Oliver's shirt. "They're a gift and a curse." She said. "So, do you know where my room is? I can't very well spend the night in here."

"Later." Oliver said, placing a kiss on Felicity's lips. "Let's just forget about them for now."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Felicity mumbled against Oliver's mouth. "Where're the lights?"

* * *

 **A brief look at what's ahead: Felicity and Oliver face their double lives as they begin their work in Starling after setting up the Foundry, starting with Adam Hunt.**

 **And, the next chapter's going to be shorter because this one was so massive!**

 **Also a gift for all of your AMAZING reviewing support. When I reach 50 reviews, I will post two chapters in two days the following week (so you basically get two chapters in one week). Given how close the count already is, I sense a new chapter in the next few days. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I'll keep this short: only thing you need to know is that the Foundry has been built and Felicity got an apartment.**

* * *

Felicity sat back in her reclining computer chair, her eyes appreciating the view that was Oliver Queen running through a few repetitions on the salmon ladder. His entire upper body arched and expanded as he jumped up and down through the air with his arms.

"You know, that is the number one thing that sets this place apart from all other superhero home bases." Felicity stated with a smile on her face and desire in her eyes. "That salmon ladder was the smartest investment we've ever made. It totally brings it up to an A rating."

"I'm glad you're enjoying the view." Oliver groaned as he advanced up another rung. "You could join me you know. You're perfectly capable."

Felicity shook her head. "There's a reason there's only one of those in here." She glanced around the mostly empty room. Her computers and desk were there, along with all of the necessary first aid supplies and equipment of course. Still, it was pretty bare, despite all of her efforts to make it look, well, inhabited. All of those comics she read as a child were excellent sources of inspiration, but she couldn't put her finger on what she wanted the place to look like. "So who are we going to go after first?"

Oliver hopped off the salmon ladder and wiped his brow. "Adam Hunt. His work goes beyond petty theft. He's managed to bribe or kill anyone who stands in his way."

"Sounds like a terrible human being. Just the type of people we deal with." Felicity remarked as she walked over to the dartboard they had set up. "It's a good thing we got the club up and running. It'll provide the perfect cover for the hit."

"We'll give him the warning this afternoon." Oliver stated. "But, we'll probably strike tonight. Are you going to be here or in the field?"

Felicity weighed half a dozen knives in her hand as she thought, tapping a red pen in her other hand against her chin. "I'm coming for sure for the warning. Wouldn't want to miss out on the fun. But for tonight, how about I bring my tablet with us?"

Oliver sighed. "You know you can't do that."

"But I'll be really careful this time Oliver." Felicity said, flinging one of the knives across the room. "It wasn't my fault that guy appeared out of thin air and knocked it out the skyscraper." Another knife followed and embedded itself next to the first.

"It's another liability."

"Well, if you want me to transfer all that money to charity," Felicity said as she threw two more behind her back, "I need my baby."

"What about those electronic arrows you created? I can do the transfer wirelessly and without a tablet."

"You never know what might go wrong." The fifth knife soared across the foundry as Felicity flung them without a second glance. "Besides, who's going to disable Hunt's security system? And what about all of those pesky security cameras?" Oliver just looked at her, and Felicity could sense victory. "I'll be very careful. I'll just bring a couple knives and focus primarily on protecting the baby."

Oliver turned away to hide his eye roll. "Fine, you can bring your tablet."

"Yes!" Felicity pumped her fist into the air as the last knife zipped inches past Oliver's head and into the dartboard. "So, first we get to do a little scary 'grrr-fear-us' type thing, then you have a party and I have a Marvel Movie marathon, and we'll rendez-vous at Hunt's headquarters for the grand finale." A devious glint shone in her eyes as she pulled the knives out from the board. "This is going to be a great day."

* * *

Felicity and Oliver watched Adam Hunt and his trio exit into the parking ramp. Oliver wore Shado's green hood, complete with an abundance of green leather. Felicity was dressed in black leather from head to toe with dark purple shadows racing up the sides. A matching purple hood hid most of her face, and black grease paint covered the contours of her eyes.

Felicity could hardly believe how easy it was going to be - Hunt had only employed two guards. Based on the dirt Felicity's facial recognition software had pulled up on them, they were mediocre guards at best.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Oliver asked as the three men neared the car stationed directly below them.

Felicity smiled. "You know me so well." She wrapped her fingers around the knife in her palm, mentally calculating the throw, before tossing it into the overhead light. The light sizzled with dying electricity as the knife ripped through its circuitry, sending a shower of sparks through the lot. It died after a couple of flickers, and before the knife even hit the ground, Oliver's arrow landed into the left guard's stomach.

Hunt leaped in the car as the right guard emptied a case of bullets into the air.

Felicity nearly laughed at the desperate attempt, leaping down from the ceiling rafter with the grace of a wild animal. The guard had shot in the completely opposite direction of them.

"Hey!" She yelled, causing the right guard to turn frantically towards her.

"You missed." Two arrows soared into the guard as Oliver jumped onto the roof of the car. He shot through the car's side window, grabbing Hunt and thrusting him out of the car and onto the ground.

Hunt yelled, cowering on the ground as Oliver drew back his bow. "H-hey! Just, just tell me what you want!" He said. "D-do you want money?"

Oliver leaped off the car and grabbed Hunt by his tie. "You're going to transfer 40 million dollars into the bank account one, one four one by midnight tonight."

Hunt's eyes widened at the large amount. "Or?"

"Or you won't like the way I take it." Oliver threatened, voice low. He pushed Hunt back, meeting Felicity's eyes. Felicity somersaulted off the car and took off running, picking up her knife as Oliver ran beside her.

Hunt stared in shock at the pair, false bravado building with every step they took. "I-if I see you two again, you'll both be dead!"

Felicity spun around and thrust her knife through Hunt's back car window.

Hunt's eyes widened as he stared at how close it came to him. "You missed!" He yelled, but the pair were long gone.

"I'll see you later tonight?" Oliver asked, as they ran out of the parking garage.

"I'll meet you at the base of Hunt's building." Felicity replied with a wink.

"Your alibi?"

"There's a quaint little restaurant nearby with a security system as old as the first computer ever created. I'll override the system with a feed featuring me sitting there for dinner." She answered. "Have fun at your party. Try to avoid taking too many shots before our big move."

Oliver grunted. "I wish you could come."

"But then what would everyone think?" Felicity asked, feigning deep shock with an exaggerated wave.

"You know we have to stay separate, especially because we're going to be working as a duo. We both come back from a deserted island and then two vigilantes pop up?"

"I'm just giving you a hard time." Felicity said flippantly, though a hint of worry settled in her eyes. "See you later." She took off in the opposite direction before Oliver could see through her the way he always did.

* * *

The effects of Oliver's welcome back party could be felt for blocks away. The loud, techno music blasted through the air and the disco lights could be seen from the bottom of Hunt's building. Felicity stood on the corner, turning their plan around in her mind. Her tablet felt perfectly weighted in her hand like a well-balanced sword. She strummed her fingertips across the tablet, following the distant party beat, causing the hints of glitter in her neon violet nails to glisten.

Felicity felt Oliver before she heard him. The two were like magnetic fields - one could always feel the other. "Ready?" Oliver's voice was distorted with the synthesizer, transforming it into a sound one expected from a monster or a phantom.

Felicity flipped her own synthesizer on. "I always am." The sound she heard was foreign, too high-pitched to be her own, and the static that underlined the lightness in her voice pushed it beyond recognition. Not even Donna would have recognized her voice now. "How is everyone?"

"Ignorant as always." Oliver replied. "Let's move."

"I'll kill the lights once you reach the front line. From thermal imaging, most of the guards are stationed in the foyer right outside Hunt's room, with a few at the door and in the security room. I'll be watching you from there and let you know what your good ole friend Lance shows up." Felicity said, flinging two of her knives into the guards at the door. "Be careful."

Oliver nodded. "The same rule applies to you too."

The two prowled into the skyscraper, stealthy as cats. Felicity took the elevator while Oliver raced up the stairs. "I bet they're shaking in their boots." Felicity said. "If they're wearing boots. I mean, I guess they're probably not. I think the SWAT wear boots, don't they? Isn't that a thing?"

Oliver only grunted over the coms, saving his breath to focus on running up the multiple flights of stairs.

"Right. I forget that I'm taking the only elevator here while you have to take the stairs. I'm shutting down their fancy cameras now." Felicity's fingers flew across the tablet, the dim glow illuminating her grin of pure glee. "Okay, they are officially blind and alerted of our presence. I'm at the security office."

Gently, Felicity placed her tablet on the ground before kicking down the door.

There were only two guards inside, both extremely puzzled about the sudden lack of security footage feed, and they didn't see a thing. Felicity smacked the first one's head into the monitors, knocking him out, and grabbed the second one in a chokehold, rendering him unconscious. She ran back for her tablet, before bringing it back in with her. "The security office is all mine." She reconnected the security footage and tracked Oliver's movements. "Are you in the vents yet?"

"I'm working on it Felicity." Oliver said. "I'm only a few feet out."

"Okay, I'm running the elevator now so all of their attention is on that." Felicity stated with a few keyboard clicks.

"Kay,"

"You know, the systems they use here are nowhere near as high tech as Amanda had. They're like, a couple generations behind and this is supposed to belong to a man with millions of dollars. He should really update his systems. Or maybe create his own. Do you think QC could do something like that with the applied sciences building?"

"Maybe...okay I'm ready."

"Perfect timing." Felicity shut down the lights in the entire building. "The elevator you're supposed to be in just arrived. You're good to go."

Felicity listened to the sounds of the fight with care, gripping onto each groan and grunt, every snap of the bow and smack of a hit. The sounds made up for the lack of visuals. When the sounds lulled, Felicity knew he was preparing to break down the last door.

"There should only be one guard with Hunt, probably the head guard." Felicity warned as the crack of the door resonated.

"Appreciate the heads up."

Felicity pulled up her tablet and began the money transfer the moment Oliver's arrow transmitted the bank information. "So...which charity will this all be going to? How about Partners for Affordable Housing? The poor people of the Glades could use some help. Three million over there, two million to the battered women's shelter..." The information flew through Felicity's mind, zipping in and out of focus.

The moment the transfer was complete, Felicity picked up her laptop and ran for Hunt's office. "On the way down. You have about two minutes. Hunt must've called Lance and friends." She leaped down the flight of stairs and sped towards the office when she heard the flurry of gunshots. "Oliver?"

The bodies of the guards were invisible to her as she pushed past the broken door and found the main guard dead on the ground, a dart in his chest. She glanced around the room, frantically searching for Oliver.

A low growl got her attention and she ran behind the desk to find a shot Oliver. "Come on, we have to go." She pulled Oliver's arm around her shoulders and hefted him up, bearing most of his weight. "Here, give me your bow." Felicity gave Oliver the desk to lean on while she grabbed his bow and arrow. Knocking back the arrow, she sent it spiraling to the roof of Oliver's party, satisfied with the perfect arc.

"Almost there," She muttered under her breath. "Go, I'll be right behind you."

Oliver jumped out the window, using his bow to bear the brunt of the friction of the makeshift zipline.

"Freeze! SCPD!"

"No thanks," Felicity snapped, before leaping out the window after Oliver.

* * *

 **There we go!** **Sorry for the short chapter (though the last one was a whopper) and the late post date (my life has turned into a giant blur). This is for the 50 reviews! As for the whole secret relationship- I'll try to keep it realistic and short as possible.**

 **Also, sorry for the lame description of the Arrow outfit. It's just, we all know what it looks like and I would rather talk about Felicity's! And I am VERY open to suggestions about more specific costume ideas.**

 **Poll question! Review or PM me on this: What should Felicity's code name be? I don't have many ideas and I'd love to use one of yours!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologize for the long update time! My life has been so crazy I haven't had much time to think and breathe much less consult my muse. With that, on with the show!**

* * *

The moment Felicity landed she ushered Oliver into the building, clucking her tongue with worry. "Is it going to need stitches?"

Oliver shook his head. "It went clean through."

"You got lucky then."

Oliver smirked. "I'm skilled at dodging bullets."

Felicity sent a wry smile Oliver's way. "I guess that's one way to put a positive spin on this." She smirked. "We only have a few minutes before Lance and friends shows up. We need to get your clothes off."

Despite the pain of the bullet Oliver managed to laugh as they entered the dark room with their backpack of supplies. "As much as I love that idea, do you really think now's a good time for that?"

"I-I didn't mean it like that. Not that, that version isn't something I enjoy or...know what? Just get your head out of the gutter!" Felicity squeaked, even as she proceeded to pull at Oliver's leather outfit. "You can't very well go back to your party dressed in this. It would kind of ruin your superhero persona after our first mission. I'm pretty sure you would have set a record for the amount of time it takes for a superhero to lose his or her identity." She paused a moment, allowing Oliver to squirm out of the shirt-half while she held it in place. "Well, next to Tony Stark in the movies I suppose."

"Can you take out some of the medical supplies to bandage this up?"

Felicity crouched down and dug through the black backpack with their supplies. "Here. This should keep the blood in for now. Or at least prevent the blood from soaking through your white shirt." She pressed a square, white gauze to his chest, taping it in place before handing him one of his shirts. "It might need a few stitches, but I think you'll live."

"Nothing but good news." Oliver grunted, grappling for his dress pants. "I can hear the police sirens."

"Then it's time for Mr. Queen to make an appearance at his party." Felicity stated, smoothing over Oliver's tux. "Looks like nothing even happened."

"Nice work tonight." Oliver placed a quick kiss on Felicity's forehead, walking towards the door. "We'll talk more late tonight. Your place."

"See you then." Felicity smiled. "And remember to play nice with the police!"

Worry gnawed at Felicity's stomach as Oliver left. It was more of a reflex than anything. They both knew that it was just a bullet wound, that they had survived so much more together. A clean bullet wound meant so little, but that didn't mean Felicity couldn't stop the tornado of concern blustering around inside her.

Shaking her head, Felicity changed into civilian clothing, slinging the backpack over her shoulder once she finished. She clumped down the stairs with a bounce in her step. Once she reached the first floor she ducked into the kitchen that led towards the back entrance.

"I should've known that this was where he was sneaking off to all the time."

Felicity whirled around, just barely resisting the instinct to pull out one of her knives. Before her stood a tall, African American man, a knowing look crossing his face. A small smile snuck up on Felicity upon recognition but she squashed it behind a blank look. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"John Diggle, Oliver Queen's bodyguard." John introduced. "You're the girl that came back with him on the island."

Felicity gave a curt nod. "I prefer the name Felicity, but you're not wrong."

"And the one he's been sneaking off to see all hours of the day." He added. "The one he's been ditching me for."

"As much as I'd like that to be true, it's not. Oliver has much bigger things to deal with than me." Felicity answered truthfully. "I just wanted to thank him for letting me stay with him the past few days and let him know that I've found an apartment."

John raised an eyebrow. "So you two aren't sneaking around behind my back?"

"Nope." Felicity said, popping the 'p.' "Sorry to disappoint."

John eyed Felicity and she knew he didn't buy it. He was smart. "You two were stuck on that island for five years. Any tips on keeping him close?"

Felicity could think of more than a dozen answers, though none of them were appropriate for Oliver's bodyguard. She shook her head. "Never underestimate that dogged stubborn streak in him." She advised. "You know that saying 'if there's a will, there's a way'? After five years of survival, no one exemplifies it better than him. If he wants to lose you he will. You can only be prepared for whatever he throws at you."

"I'll keep that in mind." He said with a nod. "Have a nice night Felicity."

"You too John."

John shook his head. "You can call me Diggle."

"Well have a nice night Diggle. Good luck with Oliver." Felicity heard Diggle huff in exasperation at the last note before returning to the party. Through the revolving door she caught a glimpse of the throngs of people and the few cops mingled in. It was time to leave before anyone else noticed her.

Felicity slipped out the back door without a problem - the cops really needed to work on their formation skills - and scurried off into the night.

She had a Marvel Marathon and some last minute criminal details to finish.

* * *

Oliver left his party the moment Lance and his officers left. There was a fiery ache in his shoulder from where the bullet had pierced the skin. No matter how many times he got shot, burned, slashed, bent, or broken, it never made the pain any less.

It was the mental block he had created over the past five years that decreased the pain to a tolerable level and pushed him forward.

A quick change of clothes and Oliver ran through the city streets, a mixture of skyscraper lights and dark ally-ways passing his peripheral vision. He had forgotten how unevenly distributed the wealth was in Starling. One block was filled with designer stores and coffee shops and the next held nothing but abandoned dreams, graffiti-covered bricks, and broken windows.

CNRI was located on one of the poorer allies so it was accessible to its primary cliental, but nowhere near one of the worst or most dangerous. Oliver scaled up the side of the building next to the law firm, using the fire escape until he found an unlocked window.

Laurel, of course, was seated at her desk, typing up some document while the news flashed in the front corner of the room on mute. Oliver crept down to the first floor soundlessly, every foot placed with planning and care. He made his way over to the fuse box, pulling Felicity's scrambler out from his pocket and inserting it into the wires.

He flicked on his voice modulator as the lights died. "Hello Laurel."

Laurel leaped up from her desk, scrambling for the gun stashed in the top drawer of her desk. She trained it on Oliver in an instant, heart beating like a hummingbird's. Fear and a hint of curiosity flooded her system as she saw the man in a green hood emerge from the shadows. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Oliver held his hands up in surrender, head bent low. "I'm not here to hurt you."

The nose of the gun wavered as hesitance entered Laurel's eyes. She was inclined to believe him, but the outfit and anonymity maintained her distrust. "Then what are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?"

"I came to give you this." Oliver threw a manila file at Laurel's feet. "It's all the evidence you need to convict Adam Hunt of his crimes against his tenants."

"H-how did you get this?" She leaned over to pick up the file, keeping a trained eye on the stranger. She flicked through the papers, all the evidence she had dreamed of getting her hands on. "I'm assuming it wasn't by legal means?"

"The corruption in this city runs deeper than what the law can do. It needs someone who's willing to do what has to be done."

She shook her head. "The law exists for a reason." Laurel reasoned. "It's there to prevent chaos, stop the bad guys. You have to live by it."

She was so naïve. It was a weakness, but one Oliver admired in a hardened city. "The law won't be enough to bring down the city's elite."

"How do you know that?" Laurel demanded. "The justice system has worked before. What do you know that we don't?"

"I'll be seeing you again soon." Oliver said, bypassing the questions. "Good luck in trial."

He turned to leave before Laurel asked, "Why are you doing this? If you distrust the law as much as you do, why come to me with this? Why not the district attorney or the mayor or someone, anyone else?"

"I've seen the news. You care about the people in this city as much as I do. There are few people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for others, especially in Starling, but you're one of them." Oliver ran for the door before Laurel could ask anything else.

Laurel was so trusting. He was glad to see that at least that hadn't changed in the last five years. He didn't deserve her trust as Oliver Queen, but he hoped to regain it as the vigilante one case at a time.

* * *

"Reporting live from the scene where Adam Hunt has been arrested. Forty million dollars has been distributed to all CRNI's clients in the collective suit against Hunt."

The news feed played in the background as Felicity's fingers tapped across the keyboard, ensuring that every last penny went to a good cause. Off in the corner of the lair, Iron Man was playing.

"According to our sources, two hooded figures made appearances at the base of Hunt's operations. The SCPD had failed to give a quote on this vigilante pair, but we have recreated rough outlines of what they might look like."

Felicity paused a moment to stare at the sketches creatively labeled "Vigilante One" and "Vigilante Two." They were both rough outlines of their matching hoods with vague enough facial features they could have been anyone in Starling.

"Is this dynamic duo partners in crime or Starling City's guardian angels? Are they finished after one criminal escapade or is this the beginning of a regular pattern? Stay tuned for more information. We return to Phil who is outside Oliver Queen's return party."

"Those sketches aren't very accurate, are they?"

Felicity hummed, shrugging her shoulders as she swiveled her chair towards Oliver walking through the door. "I'm totally Vigilante One here. I did most of the work, so I deserve most of the credit."

A small smile cracked Oliver's serious mask. "You did good work tonight."

"You didn't too bad yourself, sans the whole getting shot thing." Felicity said. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"It'll be a few days, a week or so tops." Oliver said with a wave. "You were a little careless with the whole "I'm-going-to-let-you-knock-me-out" thing with those three kidnappers."

"Yeah, I guess..." Felicity trailed off, lips thinned into a guilty line. "I kind of forget I'm not as invincible as I want to be."

"You can't be that reckless." Oliver scolded lightly, staring at the TV screen showing footage of his party.

"You're supposed to be there you know." Felicity said, wrapping an arm around Oliver's waist from her desk chair.

"I'm Oliver Queen. You forget how many parties we throw and attend on a weekly basis. There will be more. Ones I have to attend."

"And ones you'll have to miss due to our extracurricular activities as superheroes." Felicity grinned. "You'll have plenty of excuses to ditch out on all that glitz and glamour you've come to detest."

"Touche." Oliver sighed, almost glaring at the screen.

Felicity glanced up. "I know how hard this is. Coming back after everything you've went through. After what you've become." She squeezed Oliver's shoulder. "Just remember that you're not alone."

"Never." Oliver placed a quick kiss over Felicity's forehead, taking in her scent. In a world with few promises and an abundance of horror, Oliver knew he could always count on Felicity and he loved her for that.

Oliver pulled out his father's book from his pocket, crossing off Adam Hunt, the first in the sea of names. "Our work has only just begun."

* * *

 **Again, my severest apologies. A few notes here though. First: I've narrowed down Felicity's name to Oracle or Night Dagger (just for a tiny differentiation from Dagger the Marvel codename). Whichever you guys like better will be the winner. The next chapter will skip an episode or two into the season where they've got a stronger handle on things.**

 **To answer a few questions/comments: No Felicity isn't pregnant. From now on, Felicity will be wearing a black wig (as a nod to her past). They will reach the point of masks sooner than in the show, but not for right now. And if Oliver Queen, the weak-willed, bratty rich billionaire's kid can become a killer, than just imagine what Felicity (who probably wasn't as weak-willed, bratty, or spoiled as Oliver pre-island) could become in the same environment. She would most definitely not die after two days.**

 **With that, I leave you. I'll try and write more, especially with November being national writing month (best of luck to all your NanoWrimo writers out there)!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm going to skip the apologies this time and thank everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed Out of the Darkness! You are all so awesome!**

 **This takes place during the end of the episode Honor Thy Father when Oliver's on the loading docks after he coerced a confession from Martin Somers.**

* * *

"On your left!"

Oliver swung his bow in said direction, releasing an arrow with killer speed into a dark shadow. "How many more of these security guards are there?"

"According to thermal imaging, there are only ten left. You can take care of them in your sleep." Felicity taunted.

Oliver grunted as he shot off another two arrows, both hitting their mark. "Easy for you to say from the safety of the Foundry."

"Hey! I was there to take care of those hired guns when they tried to get to you and Laurel at Laurel's apartment. If I hadn't been there to prevent them from entering it would've been a mess."

"Touche."

"Someone needs to rebuild her case against Martin Somers since he destroyed the old files. I would've gladly taken your spot, but we both know that you can't do half of what I can with a laptop; therefore, I am at the Foundry and you just forced that confession from Somers, which will nicely smooth out the rest of this file." Felicity stated. "Uh oh."

Oliver grunted as he ducked behind a stack of loading crates. "That never means anything good."

"Lance just joined the party."

Oliver spun around, ducking behind a house pillar as a series of bullets whizzed past him. "Great."

"His vendetta against you is still understandable with a hint of cuteness."

A thin smile pulled at Oliver's lip as he ran out into the open. "How exactly as Lance's vendetta cute?"

"All of the extra effort and manpower he puts into hunting you down? Adorable." Felicity quipped.

"Put your hands up and surrender! It's over!" Lance yelled as he stormed onto the scene.

"See? It's actually quite admirable how persistent he is. Like a puppy trying to scare off the mailman."

"It's all fun and games until you have to break me out of prison." Oliver grunted as he froze in place.

"Well, I might leave you there, enjoy a few days of running partner-free just for kicks." Felicity sighed.

"Nowhere to run now." Lance snarled. "Don't move!"

Oliver stared for a moment, feigning cooperation before shooting an arrow directly at Lance. He dashed back down the docks, disappearing between the crates before Lance could catch his breath.

"I think I can stand to add a prison break to my list of federal offenses. Especially if it means getting to lord the feat over my boyfriend for the rest of his life." Felicity finished once Oliver was in the clear. "Another successful mission complete. I'll be sending the file along with the confession to Lance's email."

Oliver's deep sigh sounded over the coms.

"Everything alright there Hoody? You didn't get shot or anything when I wasn't looking, did you?"

"No. Now that we're done, I have to deal with my family."

Felicity leaned back into her seat, the entire chair arching backwards as she crossed her legs. "Ah. The infamous familial dispute. I completely understand how that is. Are you going to take the company?"

"I can't run Queen Consolidated and honor Dad's wish The Oliver of before wasn't ready and I'm not either."

"It just seems so soon that they're asking you to make this kind of decision." Felicity agreed. "You have until tomorrow to think about it."

"Yeah."

Felicity allowed a pause to quiet the conversation before asking, "So are you going back to your house tonight?"

Oliver suppressed a grin at the eagerness in her voice. "I'll get my full of my family tomorrow. They're not going to miss me tonight."

"What about John?"

"Diggle? He's probably gone home by now. He won't miss me either."

Felicity bit her lip in anticipation of his implications. "Well if that's the case, where are you staying tonight?"

Oliver hopped onto his motorcycle. "I'll be back at the Foundry in fifteen minutes."

"Make it ten."

Oliver's grin burst into a smile at her adamant demand. "Impatient tonight, are we?"

Felicity frowned at her slip. But it had been days since he had last spent the night and she never could sleep well without him - a habit of sorts she had picked up on the island. She was slightly resentful over the dependency, as much as she could be annoyed when that dependency involved Oliver.

She sighed, abandoning all pretenses. "Just come back to the Foundry as soon as you can. It'll be worth whatever speeding ticket you get."

* * *

The smell of caffeine and coffee beans gently prompted Felicity's eyelids to flutter open. Sleepy blue eyes lazily wandered around the Foundry for the source of the intoxicating smell. They finally stopped at a bare-chested Oliver, back turned towards her as he watched the machine liquefy the Columbian beans.

She gazed over the scars that had accumulated on Oliver's back over the past years, scars that she had her share of as well. They were visible testaments to their survival story. She momentarily relived each one, remembering the events that tore them apart and pulled them together in a new way. Anyone else would see them as monsters at worst, warriors at best. Both sides had their fair share of support.

It was the quiet moments of peace like these that Felicity reveled in. When it was her and Oliver alone together. Now they had a city to save, secrets to keep, and reputations to promote. They had to remember who they were, rediscover who they are, and decide who they wanted to be. But all of that could be forgotten in these pockets of harmony. Tranquil moments like these were rare and when they happened they never felt so deserved and succulent.

"I am so glad you decided to invest in a top-of-the-line coffee maker." Felicity said, breaking Oliver's concentration on the coffee.

He took in Felicity's bubbling presence like a bird taking on air in flight. It was invisible, but necessary to his life. "I'm glad about the investment too." He agreed. "How did you sleep?"

"Very well, since you were here with me." Felicity said as she stretched across the bed like a cat. Her body ached in all the right ways that made her ecstatic to be alive. "What about you?"

"Better than normal."

"So in other words, no more than a few hours." Felicity translated. "Do I need to make you some of that napping tea?"

"You mean the tea we use to knock out people before interrogations? Maybe if I'm desperate." Oliver mused. "I slept better than I would have if I had gone back to the mansion."

"That's a start." Felicity said, rolling out of bed as the coffee finished. "So what's the plan today? Who are we after?"

"Your pick." Oliver tossed the paper notebook to Felicity as she poured her cup of coffee.

She flipped through the old pages, carefully considering each and every possibility. "Mmm, James Holden. I saw him on the news last night. He's been selling defective fire alarms to low-income housing. Countless fires are his responsibility." She threw the notebook back.

"Holden it is then."

"What about the rest of the day? Have you decided about how to fix the family company situation?" Felicity asked, leaning against one of the tables.

"I have a plan and it involves the old Oliver."

"Pre-island Oliver? As in spoiled, rich kid Oliver?" Felicity asked lightly. "It's never fun when he comes out. Best of luck."

"What about your day life?"

"I need to complete the infamous job search. I have an interview lined up this morning." Felicity said, eyes wandering to the ceiling. "And a friend to catch up with."

"Your day sounds a lot better than mine." Oliver noted. "I should get going though. Mom and Walter want me at a memorial for Dad."

Felicity winced. "I would be there if I could be."

"I know." Oliver placed a kiss on Felicity's forehead on his way out. "See you back here at dusk."

* * *

After the job interview that involved an offer of immediate employment, Felicity found herself roaming through the inner city. It was the middle of the afternoon and the Glades still remained a sketching place to be.

If not for the few daggers stashed in her boots and her years of torture, Felicity would have felt a tad anxious walking alone on the streets. The catcalls and groups of men roaming the poorer neighborhood of Starling warned every loner to stay alert.

There was nothing special about the house in front of her. It wasn't any nicer or any more run down than the ones next to it. It had the same drug-addicted owners as any other. But this house was the one Felicity had spent countless nights in when she had first arrived in Starling.

She walked up to the front porch with peeling paint. She knocked three times. The doorbell had ceased working long ago.

After a few heartbeats, the door opened and a short, athletic young man stood in its place. A disbelieving smile filled his face and brown eyes sparkled with familiarity and warmth.

"It's been too long Blondie." The man said, throwing his arms around Felicity in greeting. "I was wondering when you were finally going to make your appearance."

"It's been a busy two weeks. I'm sorry I haven't come by sooner. To be fair, I did call the moment I was in reach of a telephone." Felicity apologized, a genuine smile lighting up her face as well. "How have you been Roy?"

"Getting into the same shit as usual." Roy laughed, ushering his old friend into the house and locking the door. "How have you been?"

"I think you can imagine." Felicity said, wearing a grave expression.

Roy shrugged as the two entered the living room. "As you can see, not much has changed."

He was right. The fraying futon and couch were in the same positions and the rug only had a few more stains. Piles of unread newspapers remained stacked on the lopsided coffee table as well.

Felicity collapsed into the couch with a grunt. "I think I'm up to hearing about your multiple exploits over the past five years."

Roy laughed. "In short, they were all excellent and one involved a model." He said, before becoming serious. "Are you okay Felicity?"

She took a deep breath, feeling the oxygen sweep into her lungs and wishing it was courage. There had been a reason she had put this off. "I'm doing okay Roy. But it's hard to be back."

"Wait," Roy scrunched up his eyebrows. "It's hard being back in Starling? It wasn't hard being out there?"

Felicity pressed her lips together. She knew that this was going to be difficult to explain and keep her cover. "No, it was harder being out there. But it isn't easy being here either. It's like, like I had to become someone else…something else."

Roy leaned forward, earnestness filling the space between them. "Whatever you had to do over there you did to survive."

"I know that but it doesn't change void I have that knows that what I did was unforgivable."

Roy nodded, gaze fierce. "I don't know what you did over there. But whatever it was, it brought you back home. You might have changed, but right now? You're acting the same way you did eight years ago after you punched that guy who had been picking on me. I don't see much of a difference there."

A short, unbelieving laugh escaped Felicity's mouth. "I remember how mad I was that he called you that…that, I can't even remember what he called you but it wasn't nice."

"I don't remember either. But I do remember that the guy was a dick and I'll never forget the look on his face afterwards." Roy said. "Even before whatever happened, you weren't afraid to defend those who needed it. And I have no doubt that whoever you killed, however many you killed, they all deserved it."

Felicity smiled at her old friend. Roy's stubborn loyalty and empathy was something to be admired. "Thanks Roy."

"No problem. I figured you didn't come back the same way you were before, but I guessed that what makes you, you did make it." Roy said. "Are you staying for dinner?"

No, I'm staying until dusk. Then I should be getting back."

"You got a night job?"

Felicity nodded, staring out the window. Only a few more hours until her work would begin. "Something like that."


End file.
